BULGARIA INTERVIEWS

The summer of 2014 was a hard one for the Bulgarian banking system, as two local banks became the target of liquidity attacks. Fibank, one of the victims, received liquidity back-up with the approval of the European Commission, and began the implementation of a strict plan for restructuring. Since June 2015, the Finn Jyrki Koskelo, an independent member of Fibank's Supervisory Board, has been one of the forces behind the restructuring process. Several month later, he is happy to say that the bank has done better than the projections had showed.

Expat Capital is the largest independent Bulgarian company for managing individual investment accounts. It manages three mutual funds and over 500 clients with their personal portfolios of financial instruments. Expat Capital is the brainchild of Nikolay Vassilev, who was minister in two governments in the 2000s. Vassilev, who had been an investment banker before he took up politics, has now made full circle.

Have you experienced special treatment because you are a foreigner?

People tend to smile more when you are a foreigner who tries to speak Bulgarian. They would go the extra mile to help you, because you were really trying a little.

What about sexism?

Bulgarian men, like the Serbian men, tend to be kind of Balkan macho. But I can't say that I've been discriminated against.

Is there a typical Bulgarian character trait?

They arrived in Bulgaria with their two daughters Khadije, 16, and Narges, 15, in 2012, forced by the unstable situation in their home country. They have applied for refugee status, and have been living in the State Agency for Refugees camp In Ovcha Kupel, Sofia, and the girls go to school. They say that the national costumes in their area of Afghanistan are similar to the ones we photograph them wearing.

In Bulgaria, he is having an internship in front-end web development with the Magic Solutions company. He is applying for asylum.

Have you experienced special treatment in Bulgaria because you are a foreigner?

Actually, no. I have heard of people having trouble, but I always meet nice people and have never experienced negative thoughts or attitude towards me.

Has Bulgaria surprised you?

Have you experienced special treatment because you are foreigners?

Nicholas: When we first came here everybody was warm and welcoming, and a lot of the people in the village were very curious what we were constructing. They used to bring us fresh fruit and vegetables, just to try. The difficulty is the language.

Nicola: Sometimes, when we have builders and construction companies, I think they prefer to talk about the technical stuff with Nick.

Is there anything typically Bulgarian?

A fan of the arts, Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes accomplished in a few months what various Communist and non-Communist functionaries, dating all the way back to Lyudmila Zhivkova in the late 1970s, had hoped for: bring a Bulgarian exhibition to the Louvre in Paris. Using his par excellence skills and contacts, M. de Cabanes was instrumental in putting together a large display of Thracian art at the Richelieu wing, through at the end of July 2015.